Northern Ireland: EU Funding to Victims' Organisations

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which victims' organisations benefited from the European Union Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland 1995–99; by how much each organisation benefited; and what are their geographical location and remit.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is not readily available in the format requested. The attached annexe does however provide the names of the groups which were granted funding under Measures 4.4 and 4.6 of the European Union Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Peace 1) and the amount of grant awarded. Since the introduction of Peace 1, victims' groups have received over £2.7 million.
	The list does not include the geographical location or specify the purpose of the grant as this information is not available. Grants were however awarded for a variety of reasons including salaries for project workers and funding for support programmes and self-help groups.
	
		Annexe
		
			 Name of group Date approved Amount approved £ 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (Belfast) Feb 96 84,000 
			 Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust (NIMTT) Apr 96 40,000 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Apr 96 85,500 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Apr 96 1,500 
			 WAVE Apr 96 90,000 
			 WAVE Apr 96 3,500 
			 C.A.L.M.S (Community Action for Locally Managed Stress) Jun 96 70,000 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (NI) Jun 96 85,350 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (NI) Jun 96 1,650 
			 F.E.A.R. (Fear Encouraged Abandoning Roots) Jun 96 3,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Jun 96 83,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Jun 96 4,000 
			 The Cost of the Troubles Study Ltd Jun 96 100,000 
			 Victim Support Northern Ireland Jun 96 30,000 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Jul 96 3,000 
			 Treetops—A Children's Bereavement Group Aug 96 750 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (Foyle) Sep 96 32,000 
			 Institute for Counselling and Personal Development Sep 96 21,000 
			 Barnardos—Victims of Violence Dec 96 3,000 
			 Bogside and Brandywell Initiative Dec 96 67,839 
			 Bogside and Brandywell Initiative Dec 96 3,000 
			 Disabled Police Officers Association Feb 97 17,250 
			 Northern Ireland Intermediate Treatment Association Feb 97 98,000 
			 Northern Ireland Intermediate Treatment Association Feb 97 2,000 
			 Columba Victim Support Service (formerly Columba Victim Services) Apr 97 6,540 
			 Columba Victim Support Service (formerly Columba Victim Services) Apr 97 4,200 
			 Lifeline Apr 97 8,200 
			 St James' Community Forum Apr 97 54,000 
			 Barnardos—Victims of Violence Jun 97 75,500 
			 Barnardos—Victims of Violence Jun 97 2,000 
			 Disabled Police Officers Association Jun 97 33,250 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Jun 97 40,000 
			 WAVE Jun 97 89,100 
			 WAVE Jun 97 56,050 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (NI) Nov 97 1,500 
			 WAVE Nov 97 3,000 
			 Coleraine/Ballymoney Branch of the Regimental Assoc. UDR Dec 97 3,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Dec 97 3,000 
			 Victim Support Northern Ireland Jun 98 52,000 
			 The Cost of the Troubles Study Ltd Aug 98 3,000 
			 Ballymurphy Womens Support Group Sep 98 38,908 
			 Institute for Counselling and Personal Development Sep 98 13,500 
			 Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre Sep 98 43,678 
			 Relatives for Justice Sep 98 60,000 
			 Relatives for Justice Sep 98 1,500 
			 Survivors of Trauma Sep 98 40,500 
			 The Bloody Sunday Trust Sep 98 3,000 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (Foyle) Dec 98 16,000 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (Foyle) Dec 98 1,500 
			 FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) Dec 98 3,000 
			 FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) Dec 98 2,000 
			 Victims and Survivors Trust Dec 98 35,000 
			 Victims and Survivors Trust Dec 98 2,500 
			 WAVE Dec 98 38,820 
			 Ballymoney District Partnership Feb 99 8,000 
			 CUNAMH Feb 99 1,900 
			 H.U.R.T. (Homes United by Ruthless Terror) Feb 99 35,000 
			 The Cost of the Troubles Study Ltd Feb 99 10,000 
			 VOICE (Victims of Injustice Campaigning for Equality) Feb 99 2,200 
			 Wider Circle Feb 99 35,000 
			 Drumcree Community Trust Mar 99 2,000 
			 WAVE Mar 99 3,000 
			 Columba Victim Support Service (formerly Columba Victim Services) Apr 99 22,000 
			 Counselling Network (N. Ireland) Apr 99 8,000 
			 Counselling Network (N. Ireland) Apr 99 3,000 
			 Omagh Support & Self Help Group Apr 99 5,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Apr 99 4,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Apr 99 1,000 
			 The Cost of the Troubles Study Ltd Apr 99 47,251 
			 WAVE Apr 99 46,600 
			 CUNAMH May 99 2,300 
			 C.A.L.M.S. (Community Action for Locally Managed Stress) Jun 99 40,650 
			 CRUSE Bereavement Care (Belfast) Jun 99 20,000 
			 CUNAMH Jun 99 6,680 
			 Coleraine/Ballymoney Branch of the Regimental Assoc. UDR Jun 99 8,900 
			 Columba Victim Support Service (formerly Columba Victim Services) Jun 99 2,800 
			 Columba Victim Support Service (formerly Columba Victim Services) Jun 99 1,500 
			 Corpus Christi Services Jun 99 23,000 
			 Corpus Christi Services Jun 99 1,000 
			 Disabled Police Officers Association Jun 99 4,300 
			 Disabled Police Officers Association Jun 99 20,500 
			 Disabled Police Officers Association Jun 99 3,000 
			 FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) Jun 99 55,000 
			 FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) Jun 99 15,000 
			 FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) Jun 99 2,000 
			 Families Against Crime by Terrorism—F.A.C.T. Jun 99 56,400 
			 Families Against Crime by Terrorism—F.A.C.T. Jun 99 10,000 
			 Fermanagh District Partnership Jun 99 4,200 
			 Greater Ballymurphy Women's Community Support Group Jun 99 22,898 
			 H.U.R.T. (Homes United by Ruthless Terror) Jun 99 31,000 
			 H.U.R.T. (Homes United by Ruthless Terror) Jun 99 3,000 
			 Lifeways Psychotherapy & Counselling Centre Jun 99 38,000 
			 Loughgall Truth and Justice Campaign Jun 99 4,000 
			 Loughgall Truth and Justice Campaign Jun 99 1,000 
			 Nexus Institute N.I. Jun 99 24,184 
			 Nexus Institute N.I. Jun 99 19,941 
			 Nexus Institute N.I. Jun 99 24,620 
			 North East Antrim Cluster of District Partnership Jun 99 10,000 
			 Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust (NIMTT) Jun 99 23,208 
			 Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust Jun 99 20,000 
			 Strabane Befriending and Counselling Association Jun 99 38,370 
			 Strabane Befriending and Counselling Association Jun 99 5,000 
			 South Down Action for Healing Wounds (S.D.A.H.W.) Jun 99 45,500 
			 South Down Action for Healing Wounds (S.D.A.H.W.) Jun 99 5,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Jun 99 6,000 
			 Survivors of Trauma Jun 99 44,300 
			 The Bloody Sunday Trust Jun 99 8,870 
			 The Bloody Sunday Trust Jun 99 2,000 
			 The Mount Help Centre Jun 99 18,000 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Jun 99 15,000 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Jun 99 1,500 
			 The Shankill Stress & Trauma Group Jun 99 60,000 
			 VOICE (Victims of Injustice Campaigning for Equality) Jun 99 21,000 
			 VOICE (Victims of Injustice Campaigning for Equality) Jun 99 1,700 
			 Victims and Survivors Trust Jun 99 18,851 
			 WAVE Jun 99 8,750 
			 WAVE Jun 99 28,360 
			 WAVE Jun 99 29,481 
			 West Tyrone Voice Jun 99 48,500 
			 West Tyrone Voice Jun 99 5,000 
			 CUNAMH Aug 99 34,290 
			 WAVE Dec 99 20,000 
			   
			   2,862,089

Register of Lords' Interests

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked the Leader of the House:
	Whether membership of a secret society should be declared in the new Register of Members' Interests.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Questions about the entries in the new Register of Lords' Interests should, in the first instance, be directed to the Registrar of Lords' Interests. The registrar consults whenever necessary the Sub-committee on Lords' Interests, and Members should accept his advice in determining whether any particular interest is relevant or significant for the purposes of the register. A Member who acts on the advice of the registrar in determining what is a relevant interest satisfies fully the requirements of the code of conduct.

Cambodian Embassy

Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to control the proceeds from the sale of the former Cambodian Embassy in London.

Baroness Amos: The proceeds from the sale of the former Cambodian Embassy premises and subsequent interest thereon, amounting in total to £2.6 million, were transferred to the Foreign Ministry of Cambodia on 21 March. We hope that the Cambodian Government will use these funds to establish a permanent diplomatic presence in the UK.

Reserve Forces

Lord Gladwin of Clee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether reservists will continue to be called out for operations in the Balkans and the region of Iraq.

Lord Bach: Two call-out orders have been made to enable reservists to continue to be called out into service to support operations in those regions. The first, made under Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996, authorised the call-out of members of the reserve forces to support operations in the region of Iraq. Its purpose is to continue the practice started in 1992 of calling out reservists, primarily specialists, to support the no-fly zone operations over north and south Iraq. At present 10 reservists are serving in the region. The second order was made under Section 56 of the Act to allow reservists to be called into service to support operations in former Yugoslavia. Since 1995, when NATO operations commenced in former Yugoslavia, the reserve forces have provided some 10 per cent of the total UK manpower in theatre. NATO's on-going study to find efficiencies for troop-contributing nations will not be agreed or implemented in time to mitigate the present need. Both orders are effective until 31 March 2003.

Meteorological Office: Quinquennial Review

Baroness Golding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the quinquennial review of the Meteorological Office will take place.

Lord Bach: The quinquennial review of the Met Office will begin this month. The aim of the review is to examine how the Met Office has performed since its launch as a trading fund within the Ministry of Defence and to recommend whether, and if so what, measures should be taken in order to reinforce the office's delivery of cost-effective services to its customers and to ensure that full use is made of its scientific and human assets.
	The review will proceed in two phases, in the first of which a number of "framework" issues will be examined, including whether the Met Office is best placed as a trading fund within the MoD to exploit its full potential and whether existing governance arrangements require adjustment. The report of this first phase of the review is expected in July.
	In the second phase, the review will address, in the light of the answers to the "framework" issues examined in the first phase, a number of questions concerned with the operating efficiency of the Met Office, including the development of a more appropriate relationship between the office and its public sector customers, the scope for developing more commercial business opportunities, the potential for greater national and international cooperation in both meteorology and environmental services generally, and the scope for further streamlining of business processes both within the Met Office and between the office and its customers. The report of this second phase of the review is expected in October.
	The review will be carried out by a small team, which will consult closely with Met Office management and other stakeholders, including the office's customers. The MoD is interested also to hear the views of other organisations or individuals who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to do so should send their contributions to:
	The Met Office QQR Team
	The Met Office,
	London Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 2SZ

Commission for Racial Equality:Code of Practice

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will bring forward the Commission for Racial Equality's draft statutory code of practice on the duty to promote race equality.

Lord Rooker: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Angela Eagle) yesterday laid before Parliament the Commission for Racial Equality's draft statutory code of practice on the duty to promote race equality.
	The code of practice will offer practical guidance to public authorities on how to meet their duty to promote race equality. Once the code of practice is brought into effect, it will be admissible in evidence in any legal action, and a court or tribunal should take relevant provisions of the code into account.

Sterling

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they regard the maintenance of the sterling effective exchange rate between limits of 102 to 108 for the past 14 months as evidence of its short-term stability.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government do not comment on the stability of sterling in the short term, as they believe that this may have undesirable effects on volatility. The Government believe that the key to a stable and competitive pound in the medium term is macro-economic stability and sound public finances.

UN Assembly on Ageing: PrepCom Session

Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What issues were raised (a) by them and (b) by others at the PrepCom session in New York in February called to discuss the final agenda for the United Nations Assembly on Ageing to be held in Madrid in April 2002.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The main purpose of the PrepCom session which took place between 25 February and 1 March was to negotiate the International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002. The agenda for the World Assembly on Ageing had already been agreed.
	Issues raised by the UK and others included ensuring human rights, age discrimination, the eradication of poverty, employment, education and training, the position of older women, and access to new medicines.

Fox and Mink Predation

Lord Brougham and Vaux: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What figures they have on predation by foxes and mink on ground-nesting birds and game birds.

Lord Whitty: The Burns inquiry noted that both foxes and mink have a damaging effect on ground-nesting birds and game birds. However, there are no reliable figures for the extent of predation.

Abandoned Vehicles: Disposal Costs

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the costs of dealing with abandoned cars over the past five years.

Lord Whitty: Local authorities are responsible for dealing with abandoned vehicles and the department currently holds no central records of the number of vehicles abandoned each year. However, we estimate that some 350,000 were abandoned in the United Kingdom in 2000 and that disposal costs are between £30 and £50 per vehicle. The total net cost for 2000 of their disposal would therefore be in the range of £10 million to £17 million.
	Information on the number of abandoned vehicles removed by local authorities has been collected for the first time in the department's 2000–01 municipal waste management survey which should be published in July.

Camelid Trekking

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider the rules for the issue of special licences for camelid trekking are consistent with the announcement by the Lord Whitty on 11 April that cattle, pigs and camelids will be allowed to be exhibited from the start of the show season.

Lord Whitty: Camelid trekking and the exhibiting of animals at agriculture shows are activities which pose a different degree of disease risk. Each activity has a set of controls designed to mitigate that risk, based on veterinary advice. The Government believe that the respective provisions are proportionate to the disease risks. They will keep the controls under review.